2 ms·

> "One not-trivial-but-straightforward path is to own the company you're negotiating with regarding employment terms." That's what I did. I make games and I o

> "One not-trivial-but-straightforward path is to own the company you're negotiating with regarding employment terms." That's what I did. I make games and I only make money from royalties. It's super rewarding having complete control over what I do, but it's a succeed-or-die kind of venture.

lgas 14y ago
Aren't all businesses "succeed-or-die" ventures?
- Dylan16807 14y ago
  Not on per-project basis.
- lifeformed 14y ago
  Well, "die" as in "fail really hard". Like work 2 years for no pay and then make no money after you launch. Thankfully it hasn't happened yet, but it's always a possibility. Also, you know within the first hour of launch whether or not your game will be profitable or not, so it's a suspenseful time.
pw 14y ago
I'm not a gamer, so I'd be interested in hearing what people have done to try to ameliorate the succeed-or-die nature of indie game development. It seems like it's just the usual problem of building something no one wants, which in other industries is solved with an MVP and/or starting your marketing long before you have a product.
- lifeformed 14y ago
  I think it's not so much a business issue as it is a game design issue. A game that is genuinely of good quality should sell itself. Word spreads fast in the gaming world, so something that's unique or beautiful tends to draw attention without much marketing effort. Now, whether your good game makes a small profit or becomes a massive hit is a whole other question. But to separate yourself from the big ocean of failed game projects, you simply have to have a deep understanding of what makes a game interesting, and to have a team that can execute that. There's not much you can do on the business end other than to keep everyone involved happy. Luckily, the definition of a business 'success' in indie games is pretty modest; breaking even is pretty nice, and making enough to be able to start thinking about another project is a big success.

lgas 14y ago

Aren't all businesses "succeed-or-die" ventures?

Dylan16807 14y ago
Not on per-project basis.
lifeformed 14y ago
Well, "die" as in "fail really hard". Like work 2 years for no pay and then make no money after you launch. Thankfully it hasn't happened yet, but it's always a possibility. Also, you know within the first hour of launch whether or not your game will be profitable or not, so it's a suspenseful time.

pw 14y ago

I'm not a gamer, so I'd be interested in hearing what people have done to try to ameliorate the succeed-or-die nature of indie game development. It seems like it's just the usual problem of building something no one wants, which in other industries is solved with an MVP and/or starting your marketing long before you have a product.

lifeformed 14y ago
I think it's not so much a business issue as it is a game design issue. A game that is genuinely of good quality should sell itself. Word spreads fast in the gaming world, so something that's unique or beautiful tends to draw attention without much marketing effort. Now, whether your good game makes a small profit or becomes a massive hit is a whole other question. But to separate yourself from the big ocean of failed game projects, you simply have to have a deep understanding of what makes a game interesting, and to have a team that can execute that. There's not much you can do on the business end other than to keep everyone involved happy. Luckily, the definition of a business 'success' in indie games is pretty modest; breaking even is pretty nice, and making enough to be able to start thinking about another project is a big success.